Summer Camp Settles Claim That it Violated the Americans with Disabilities Act

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today a Settlement Agreement with Point O' Pines Corporation to resolve allegations that its residential summer camp, Point O' Pines Camp for Girls, located in Brant Lake, New York, violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) by failing to offer a reasonable accommodation to a minor with a disability. The settlement will ensure equal access for campers with disabilities at Point O'Pines Camp for Girls under Title III of the ADA.

"Today's settlement ensures that campers with disabilities will be reasonably accommodated so that they have the same opportunity to enjoy and participate in Point O' Pines Camp for Girls as other campers. Our Office will continue to enforce the ADA and its protections against discrimination for people with disabilities," stated United States Attorney Nocella.

The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by the parents of a camper, a minor with Type 1 diabetes, to whom Point O' Pines Camp for Girls failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for the summers of 2023 and 2024. The camper complained that Point O'Pines discharged her before the end of camp season because she has a disability. Under the terms of the settlement, Point O' Pines Corporation has agreed to take appropriate steps to ensure evaluation of campers with disabilities on a case-by-case basis and make reasonable accommodations for them. Additionally, Point O' Pines Camp for Girls will provide all of its employees and staff training regarding ADA compliance, and will identify and train relevant employees and staff on the specific disabilities of incoming campers.

Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the "services, programs, or activities of a public entity." Point O' Pines Camp for Girls is a place of public accommodation. To comply with Title III, public entities such as Point O' Pines must ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of Point O' Pines Camp for Girls. This includes making "reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the public entity can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity."

The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Point O'Pines.

This matter has been handled by Chief of Civil Rights Megan Freismuth, Assistant United States Attorney Anjna Kapoor, former Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Silverman, and Senior Auditor/Investigator Tisha Waite.